Weaving the Web: The Original Design and Ultimate Destiny of the World Wide Web by Its Inventor

When I first ventured out onto the Web in 1994, little did I know that just a few years later I'd have the opportunity to meet and work with the man who's ideas put this new virtual world into motion. But there I was, at a W3C Advisory Committee meeting in San Jose, CA (Jan. 1998), sitting elbow to elbow with Berners-Lee at lunch, very much star-struck. Today, nearly three years later, I've had the pleasure to know a little bit more about Tim Berners-Lee the man, and to see him in action at various W3C meetings and conferences. Reserved, self-effacing, and even shy, you're still able to look into his eyes and see the gears turning exponentially faster than the ideas can possibly come out of his mouth, though he does try -- often being reminded to slow down so that his comments can be digested by the rest of us. Though we disagree occasionally (primarily about the universal application and suitability of namespaces), I very much respect his guidance and vision. Reading Weaving the Web was enlightening in several aspects: it filled in the holes in my knowledge obtained by talking with Tim, reading other historical works, and speaking with those who also helped make the Web what it is today. The most valuable aspect is the realization that if one truly believes in something and perseveres in their that a good idea can become more than that, it can become something that changes the lives of us all.

I have heard so many stories of the beginnings of the web, but for the first time, here is how it really happened. Tim Berners-Lee, the man who developed the 'World Wide Web' now tells the tale of how all this hypertext-hoopla began.Berners-Lee writes in plain english, allowing non-programmers to share in his vision and goals for a universal (or should that be uniform?) way to share information across the internet. Especially interesting is the history of the browser market itself, without all the 'browser-war' hype.Best of all, this book does not read like a technical specification -- but is full of warmth and humor as we see Berners-Lee bring his brainchild to light.I read "Where Wizards Stay Up Late: the Origins of the Internet" by Katie Hafner and Matthew Lyon, and desperately wished someone would do similar justice to the history of the web. Not only has someone now done just that, but that someone happens to be the inventor of the web! What more could you ask for?

This is an amazing account of how the Web came to be by the man who pulled together the ideas of many others to create it. Considering how much his invention has changed the world, he is incredibly humble in telling his story. Very easy and fast read. Also provides a good background knowledge of the technical side for those interested in creating for the Web. Which, as he states over and over again, was one of the main reasons he created it; so people from anywhere, no matter who they were, could reach other people and share information. I found the technical information very easily absorbed and easy to understand. But I want to point out this is NOT a techy, how-to manual, full of jargon. Merely one man's story and an overview of the technology and ideas surrounding him. Highly recommend to anyone.

Weaving The Web is a wonderful blending of three distinct subjects: the history of the World Wide Web, an astute analysis of the web's "current" state, that is, where it stands in the middle of 1999, and where it's founder believes and thinks it is headed. It is difficult to believe the accuracy of Berners-Lee's vision of what the web could be in the time that the web was just a dream, and how he worked to achieve it. He also dispels the common belief that he either disdains the accumulation of wealth that could have been his had he chosen a different path, or that he envies those individuals who have made millions (or billions) by building on the web's humble beginnings. He also does not begrudge the commercialization over the web, as many academics did at the time when the web was viewed primarily as a medium for the free sharing of ideas and information.Berners-Lee talks in depth about the social implications of technology, and indeed the World Wide Web is a social beast as much as it is a technological one. He does separate, however, the duties of bodies like the W3C whose sole purpose is to facilitate and strengthen the standards and protocols that are providing new richness and robustness to the web. This is clearly highlighted in his discussion of PICS, which allows for creation of rules that can facilitate filtering of objectionable material on the web. Berners-Lee makes the clear distinction between those who create the PICS technology, and those who decide how it will be implemented.It is evident from this book that Berners-Lee is far from finished in his duties. While not as radical as the initial concept of the World-Wide Web must have been in its time, his discussion of security, privacy, and collaboration and how they can and should be implemented on the web should be read by anyone who wants to be a player in Cyberspace. Berners-Lee does not hold a monopoly on great ideas for the web, but he clearly has a grasp on the balance and understanding of both the technology as well as its place in society that others would be well served to strive for.

I've been online since 94, build sites, and teach web-related classes. This book is a wonderful testament to the *philosophy* of universal access -- freedom from hardware and software handcuffs that continue to plague general computing today.We (USA) don't stand for a lack of interoperability in other infrastructure products (phone, fax, gasoline, railroads, electricity, TV signals, etc). Why should we with computing systems?TBL says we don't have to. And thanks to him today, on the WWW, we don't.So it lacks background on TCP/IP. So what? This isn't a "technical" book. It's a history book; a philosophical treatise. One man's vision of technology as a community building tool.Where are we going? Where *should* we be going with this technology? How private is private - and why should you care? The second half of the book should be mandatory reading for all regulators and elected officials.